Yoga and DETOX...

YOGA and DETOX
by Katie Bond, MA, RYT, CPT

Yoga helps the body in its natural detox process.  Our bodies are designed to detox every day naturally participating in a daily elimination of waste and toxins.  Yoga comes in and acts as a companion to this process.  It partners alongside the natural bodies response to rid toxins and helps move this process along in a safe and all natural state.  The poses used in yoga are tools to help in this process. 

Here is how detox works: (and it’s not from drinking a lemon-based liquid) Our body is made up of three systems for detoxification: - circulatory, digestive, and lymph.  These 3 systems play a vital role in our elimination of waste from toxins or bacteria in the body.  Specific yoga poses such as folds, inversions, twists, and downward facing dog have been proved to assist with the bodies detoxification. 

In yoga we focus on the mental and physical detox.  Different types of yogic breathing can be used to help relax the mind and rid the body of unwanted waste.  Through folds, twists, breathing techniques, and inversion the yoga sequence can quicken the detox happening within the body.

While yoga is a good friend to detox, being mindful of what you put in your body can also help.  Foods that are great to eat with detox in mind are: fresh fruits, raw vegetables (especially broccoli), green leafy foods, citrus fruits (lemons, limes, etc), green tea, cilantro, Echinacea, cayenne pepper, parsley leaf, mung beans, seeds or nuts, and omega-3 oils found in foods such as avocado, hemp, fax seed or olive oil. 
What you drink is also important.  The best thing is water.  Drinking plenty of water helps flush the body and has a natural cleansing effect.  Specific products, such as Yogi DeTox Tea, is sold to aid in detoxification.  Foods to avoid while wanting to emphasize detox are: dairy based products, sugars, processed foods, alcohol, and meat. 

Essential oils are also used for mind and body detox.  Individuals often will use the oil in a bath or apply to skin.  Rose, black pepper, cypress, juniper berry, fennel, coriander, parsley, sage, frankincense, carrot seed, grapefruit, orange, lemon and nutmeg are known for their detox benefits.  If using one of these oils make sure to mix with almond or olive oil before applying directly to skin.  Baths are also known to be very cleansing.  A natural way is to use Epsom salts in hot bath water.  Sitting in this salt is known to naturally pull toxins out of the body. 

The body will feel the benefits of the yoga detox.  People often choose this natural and healthy way of detox because it is safe and proven to work.  Benefits of the detox include: elimination of toxins and waste from the body, more energy, mental clarity, better sleep, healthy digestion, clearer skin, stronger immune system, reduction of stress, and fewer aches and pains.  Yoga and detox go hand in hand in supporting the body to be as healthy as it can naturally be! 
Resources for further reading:
www.life.gaiam.come/article/yoga-detox
www.pureinsideout.com
www.squidoo.com/yoga_detox
www.livestrong.com
www.healthandyoga.com/html/news/detox.html
www.learnhowtodetoxyourbody.com
www.globalhealingcenter.com